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I am about halfway through the new book just released by André Oorebeek.

This must be the most comprehensive book on the subject of voicing that I have read to date; André breaks down the process into sections that are easily understood by the beginner as well as the more experienced technician.

The book comes with a DVD companion that I just reviewed; running time of 45 minutes total, professionally done, with good clarity and sound. Of particular note, André breaks down the voicing procedures for all to see and hear, moreover, he demonstrates very clearly finding an “error” in the tonal qualities of the instrument, and then correcting the problem of uneven tones.

This is a very important aspect of teaching, the ability to communicate the process of any technical expertise in language that the majority will understand, even folks who are not technicians at all.

For the average layman or pianist, I would also encourage the purchase of this book/DVD. A study of this material will go long way to explaining why pianos sound like they do, what can be done for improvement, and further will help to explain the tonal qualities, how they are produced, or masked, by using the hammer.

I know that André has been booked for seminar classes in concert voicing at the National Convention of the Piano Technicians Guild in Grand Rapids that commences this July 15th 2009. For the technicians who are attending, obtaining a copy of this release prior to attending this class would be a very good way to prep yourself “going in”. Hope to see you at the classes there…………….

Thanks to Jurgen Goering of Pianofortesupply for compiling and producing this book. And thanks to André Oorebeek for taking the time to share his expertise in this way for the benefit of all.

Here is the web site link for the purchase of this book. I would encourage all who are interested in taking their voicing procedures to a higher level would benefit greatly from this release.

Yes it is a good read. Very informative for expanding your voicing horizons. One of the most important aspects of becoming a well rounded technician, is the complete understanding of how the hammer reacts to its own shape and the manipulation applied.

No problem on the review Erus, glad to offer an opinion on this release. As far as purchasing or planning to purchase Monster, I have no idea of the size of the print run, so best to contact Jurgen (supply) for availability.

Once again, I thank you for your work in bringing this great guy into my expanding horizon. I've seen enough of Andre's work to easily justify ponying up the $85 plus S&H in the coming weeks! This guy is poetry in motion!

The voicing book has only been available for about two weeks and there has already been a tremendous amount of enthusiastic feedback.

There's a new "Events" page on the book website with upcoming voicing seminars André Oorebeek will be giving. You can also see pictures of him in action at a voicing class (click on the thumbnails for a larger view). As well, instructions on how you can get André to your town to voice a whole piano before your eyes.

This week was a great one for Andre's book. We sent a shipment of books out to a wholesaler in Japan. "The Voice of the Piano" book and DVD is now being distributed on four continents - North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. Technicians all over the world are discovering this valuable resource.

Does anybody know if this DVD will be available at a booth at the PTG event in GR this summer?RPD

The DVD comes with the book, it is a set. The book has a lot of background information which is not touched on in the DVD. This information is helpful in getting the most benefit from the video. The 45 minute DVD shows all the steps in voicing a set of hammers from start to finish, as described in the book. A DVD can show a lot of things that are difficult to put into words and the audio is helpful so that one can hear the changes taking place.

Not only will the book/DVD be available in Grand Rapids at the Piano Forte Supply booth, the author Andre Oorebeek will be giving a full one day class on the whole book content. Having seen him in action twice, I can say that his one day seminar alone is well worth the cost of attending the convention. There will be time for mingling and book signing, of course.

This week was a great one for Andre's book. We sent a shipment of books out to a wholesaler in Japan. "The Voice of the Piano" book and DVD is now being distributed on four continents - North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. Technicians all over the world are discovering this valuable resource.

Hey Jurgen,

I was reading this posting and wondered if there was any plans to translate the book into Cantonese or Mandarin.(Actually, I think both languages are written the same but spoken differently. Also with Mandarin there are some phrases that have no translation into Cantonese.)

With all of the piano manufacturing being re-located to mainland China, there will be a requirement for a good deal of technical instruction over there.Maybe this is something that you and Andre have discussed already.....